The time has come to say farewell to Bangkok after an amazing two years of calling the city home. In this final blog I will reflect briefly on my time in Thailand accompanied by photos taken from the Baiyoke Tower, the tallest building in Thailand, which I paid a visit to this week.
To the east is the airport link railway line and the Minburi district where I lived the first year and where the school is located. Living in gated communities is popular amongst the better off Thais and having my own house was a fun experience and very convenient to the school.
I had a good time working at Ruamrudee International School. With nearly all my students non-native English speakers and with a new curriculum in the IB it was a time of growth for me as a teacher and I really enjoyed teaching the kids in my classes.
I had a good time working at Ruamrudee International School. With nearly all my students non-native English speakers and with a new curriculum in the IB it was a time of growth for me as a teacher and I really enjoyed teaching the kids in my classes.
Then as we move to the south-east you have the tall hotels, offices and condos of Sukhumvit Road. This became my backyard in the second year in Thailand. Living in a brand new condo was cool and I made the most of the gym and pool and especially enjoyed the great food available on my street. The various shops, restaurants, pubs and other attractions along the BTS metro Sukhumvit line were all close by and I am glad that I got the chance to experience city life, especially in a place like Bangkok.
In the distance you can see the big bend in the Chao Phraya river and the "Lungs of Bangkok" a green belt on the inside of the bend. On a clear day they say that you can see the Gulf of Thailand behind that but I doubt that is visible very often! Down the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand were the various beach destinations that I had the chance to enjoy including Pattaya, Ko Samet and Ko Chang with their white sand, palm trees and warm waters.
This photo is in the same direction looking down on a poorer area of the city. While Thailand is quite wealthy compared to its nearest neighbours, this wealth is certainly concentrated amongst a small few.
Now moving further towards the south you can see some of the parks and the central shopping district with its classy malls.
Lumpini Park was definitely a favourite, great for a walk, a run or just relaxing and people watching.
The shopping area in the centre of town in the foreground of the next photo was always a good spot to hangout, even if only to enjoy the air conditioning for a while. I certainly learned how much Thais like to shop, especially in the search for a perfect face.
Towards the south-west is the financial district of Silom and the location of many embassies including the Australian, which I visited a few times when I needed to vote as well as replace my passport after I used up all its pages from all my travelling!
Beyond that are the beaches down the western side of the Gulf of Thailand. I was lucky to experience a few of them; Hua Hin, Krabi and Phuket.
Even further south were two more visits to other countries. Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was very modern and Singapore was vibrant and noticeably clean (not something you could say about Bangkok!)
Out to the west was the haziest view but what you notice is the lack of tall buildings. This is old Bangkok, actually on an island called Ko Ratanakosin. It is here you find the treasures of Bangkok; the Grand Palace, The Reclining Buddha, Wat Arun (the Temple of the Dawn), many monuments and museums and the nicest section of the river. I visited this area many times and enjoyed it every time. It is a great part of Bangkok.
Then beyond all this, but not too far away is the mysterious Myanmar. The trip to Burma was one of the highlights of the last two years. The people were the poorest yet friendliest that I met and the incredible temple-strewn plains of Bagan were astonishing.
The next photo zooms in on Victory Monument, one of the main transport hubs in the city. Further to the north-west is Kanchanaburi Province and the Bridge on the River Kwai. The Anzac Day dawn service in Hellfire Pass was one of those moments in life you realise you have just experienced something very special.
The last three shots show the view to the north and give you an idea of the network of expressways that help you avoid the worst of the traffic. Chatuchak Market is in this direction.
It also is the way to the beautiful northern Thailand cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, a great escape from the chaos and smog of Bangkok. Then you have Laos, arguably the jewel of South-East Asia with its natural beauty, relaxed pace of life, great people and the best food I have eaten.
So, what an amazing two years. I leave Thailand a different person to the one who arrived. I have come to realise that so much of what we think is right or wrong is actually just cultural and the way we have been brought up. The world is an amazing place and we can learn so much from others. While Australia is so isolated from the rest of the world what we have as an advantage is our multiculturalism. Our success, I think, depends upon our ability to embrace differences and celebrate diversity. When you work in an International School you see what a powerful agent for change and a better world that is.
I will miss Thailand but a new adventure awaits...
